When the team at Grand River decided to implement a new Electronic Health Information System, they realized it was an opportune time to move to automated clinical data feeds to BORN.
Maggie says the transition was “a team effort" involving Health Informatics experts, a Clinical Nurse Specialist, an internal Interface team, the EHR Vendor and the BORN team. She is quick to acknowledge the hard work and determination that was required to be successful: “We had lots of challenges. Some of BORN’s matching algorithms initially made receiving our files and matching them challenging - BORN responded by modifying some of their algorithms. Arranging the data collection points logically within the electronic documentation system has caused frequent rethinking of how we can best capture data in our usual workflows”.
When asked about advice for other programs considering clinical data integration, Maggie says: “Have a good idea of how you plan to capture data. This was the largest and longest part of our project. Lastly, test, test and test some more. Our testing was lengthy and involved multiple resources to ensure our common patient scenarios as well as uncommon scenarios were captured to ensure we understood how the system would collect and send the data”.
The team at Grand River frequently checks and rechecks workflows and processes and is committed to continuous improvement. When asked about factors that helped them succeed, Maggie cites “sheer dedication to getting it right” and a commitment to maintaining the high-quality data they’re accustomed to collecting.
The Childbirth Program uses data for evaluating clinical outcomes, monitoring key performance indicators and supporting financial plans; it's an excellent example of administrators and clinicians who believe in the power of high-quality data to drive evidence-based decision making.
